(MENAFN- Tribal News Network) BARA: The district administration of Khyber tribal district has banned motorcycle riding during the polio vaccination campaign starting from tomorrow (Monday).

According to a notification issued by the district police officer (DPO) to all the station house officers (SHOs) of police stations in Khyber district, motorcycle riding will be strictly banned from February 17-23 from 8:00am to 4:00pm to make sure that the polio vaccination teams work in a secure environment. The SHOs have been asked to ensure that the ban is strictly implemented.

During the week-long vaccination campaign in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including tribal districts, which will start from tomorrow, 6.7 children below the age of five years will be given polio drops by as many as 23,309 vaccination teams. The vaccination teams will carry out door to door campaign to make sure that maximum children get polio drops.

Motorcycle riding has been banned in Khyber district amid security threats to vaccination teams. Vaccination teams in Pakistan face two major problems i.e. security threats and non-cooperating parents in some areas with conservative settings. Some attacks on polio vaccination teams were witnessed in KP recently due to which security measures have been enhanced.

On January 29, two women polio workers were shot dead by unidentified miscreants in Swabi.

Police said female polio workers Shakeela and Ghuncha Gul were performing duty in Parmoli Mir Ali Lara area when unidentified armed men on a motorcycle opened fire on them. Shakeela died on the spot, while Ghuncha Gul succumbed to her injuries during treatment at Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.

On December 18, 2019, a suicide bomber aiming to target a polio vaccination team exploded himself in Serai Naurang area of Lakki Marwat, but the vaccination team remained safe.

The suicide blast in Lakki Marwat happened a day after two police personnel appointed for providing security to vaccination teams during the anti-polio campaign in Lower Dir were shot dead.

On December 09, two people, including a lady health worker were killed in a firing incident in Bannu. Police said the lady health worker was going for a polio vaccination campaign when she was targeted by unknown armed men. She was on duty at the camp for temporarily displaced persons (TDPs) in Bakakhel area of Bannu.

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